Following consultation with CLOCS Champions – the regulators, clients, contractors and operators responsible for delivering CLOCS – the CLOCS Standard has been updated.
The CLOCS Standard is a set of requirements for all stakeholders to help ensure safer, leaner and greener construction logistics. It demands collaboration between the construction and fleet sectors to address shared issues and draws together best practice from a number of standards, policies and codes of practice to provide one industry standard that can be implemented by all.
The intention was always to conduct a light touch review and while the changes are minimal, they are significant and should be carefully reviewed by all. The two main changes are around collisions and emissions data collection and reporting and fleet accreditation requirements.
Because these changes are minimal and should only make it more straightforward for Champions to comply with the CLOCS Standard, the CLOCS Strategy, Standards and Governance Board have agreed that these changes come into effect on 1st August 2022.
Full details of the changes, as well as a copy of version 4 of the CLOCS Standard can be found below.
Changes to collisions and emissions reporting – sections 4.4 and 5.11
Sections 4.4 for Clients, and 5.11 for Contractors, have been updated to amend the way in which collisions data should be collected from procured contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers. Version 3 of the CLOCS Standard required clients and contractors to obtain project specific data and the feedback has been that this is extremely problematic for various reasons.
However, fleet operators do collate collisions data on their overall vehicle movements and report this on an annual basis, and it is this data that contractors and clients will be seeking to establish comparative levels of performance and request improvement plans where appropriate.
The Standard also now asks Clients and Contractors to obtain emissions data on the same basis.
A CLOCS guidance note has been produced to provide further information and this can be found here.
Changes to fleet accreditation requirements – section 6.1
Section 6.1 has been updated to make it clearer that other fleet accreditation schemes could be utilised to demonstrate compliance with CLOCS. Whilst the standards and requirements as described as Silver in the FORS Standard remain the benchmark of performance, FORS Silver accreditation in itself is not a requirement.
A CLOCS guidance note has been produced to provide further information and this can be found here.
Summary of other changes
- Various minor amendments have been made to the first few sections but these are purely cosmetic and do not affect the requirements of the Standard.
- The Executive Summary has been amended slightly to reflect all changes to the Standard
- All references to vehicle types have been amended to ‘construction logistics vehicles’ to avoid any confusion, and the definition of this has been added to page 10
- The following text has been added to the fourth paragraph of section 2.3
- The fleet operator will agree with the client how compliance for this group of vehicles will be demonstrated. This may include a risk assessed need or such appropriate accreditation schemes.
- Section 2.6 has been updated to acknowledge other fleet accreditation schemes are available which could be used to demonstrate compliance with CLOCS.
- Section 5.5 has been updated to expand the first bullet point to:
- make all sub-contractors, fleet operators and service suppliers aware of the requirement to use specified routes at all times through a robust and agreed communication process
- Section 5.6 has been updated to expand the second bullet point to:
- assessed and rated using the CLOCS Handbook – Assessment for on-site ground conditions (see section 7.1). These assessments should be passed on to all fleet operators with copies available at site access points for any drivers should they require it.
- A new bullet point has been added to 5.7:
- fully engaging with Fleet Operators where issues are identified to ensure a timely resolution
- Section 7.1 has been updated with new links to resources which have been made available since the last review, and some links removed where resources have been removed.
- Details of the CLOCS Strategy, Standards and Governance Board have been added to Section 7
Andy Brooke, CLOCS Programme Director stated,
“Feedback from our Champions was that, while our industry continues to face the fall-out from Brexit and the ongoing issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, any changes to the CLOCS Standard should be minimal.
However, we received significant feedback that Champions require clarity on fleet accreditation standards, and also that the collisions data collection requirements as detailed in version 3 have proven extremely problematic to implement leading to regular non-compliance against the Standard despite best efforts.
Working closely with our Champions, version 4 of the CLOCS Standard provides clarification on fleet operator requirements and also simplifies the requirements for data collection which will enable clients and contractors to obtain the necessary data that will enable them to identify where improvement plans are required to raise standards and mitigate the risk to vulnerable road users”.
